Device for unwinding and straightening coiled metallic tubes

ABSTRACT

The device of the invention comprises a structural rack ( 10 ) provided with wheels ( 12 ) and carrying: a horizontal shaft ( 20 ), which supports a reel ( 30 ) in which is wound a tube (T); an assembly of straightening rollers ( 60 ), at least one of them being a traction roller of the tube (T) driven by a motor unit ( 50 ); and a support arm ( 40 ), having an end ( 41 ) mounted around the horizontal shaft ( 20 ) and an opposite end ( 42 ) carrying the motor unit ( 50 ) and the assembly of rollers ( 60 ), between which the tube (T) is pulled and straightened according to a direction tangential to the reel ( 30 ), the support arm ( 40 ) being locked in the structural rack ( 10 ) in different positions angularly offset from each other.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention refers to a device to be used to unwind andstraighten somewhat flexible and deformable metallic tubes as, forexample, continuous copper tubes, which are wound in a coil and to beapplied, in a straightened or rectified condition, in a horizontalinstallation in the ground, in ditches, ducts or racks, or along avertical or inclined wall in a building.

PRIOR ART

It is well known from the state of the art the use of metallic tubes toconduct different fluids, such as water and gas, in exposed or internalbuilding installations, or in public roads, generally in ditches orducts in the ground.

Generally, the metallic tubes used in said installations are provided instraight extensions of some meters that are connected to each other bythreaded or welded fitting elements.

The use of tubes in straight extensions presents the inconvenience ofrequiring the provision of fitting elements between the tube extensions,as well as long and expensive installation operations, with thenecessary reliable and tight connection between each two tubeextensions.

The inconvenience mentioned above and related to the tubes in straightextensions becomes more serious when the tubes are vertically mounted indifferent applications along internal or external vertical walls ofseveral buildings. In this case, the difficulties of the operations ofconnecting and affixing the tubes are considerably increased.

Therefore, although the use of the tubes in straight extensions allowsthe formation of lines of rectilinear pipes that are esthetically andefficiently arranged in the available spaces, the assembly andinstallation difficulties make this known technique very troublesome andexpensive.

Another known solution for the formation of the referred tube extensionsof the type considered herein uses somewhat flexible metallic tubes,such as the annealed copper tubes, defined in continuous extensionswound in a coil and which are required to be unwound and somehowstraightened to be installed.

The solution using a coil cited above has the advantage of eliminatingthe operations of connecting the tube extensions one to another.However, the usual operations of unwinding and straightening the coiledmetallic tube, if not properly carried out, result in a non-rectilineartube extension, usually with a somewhat elongated sinusoidal shape. Evenin the case the sinusoidal aspect is of low amplitude, the installationof the tube will not present an adequate aesthetic appearance and adesirable efficiency in using the dimensions available for the mountingof the tubes, mainly when said mounting comprises a plurality of tubesarranged side by side.

Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,566 describes a machine for cutting ametallic tube to a predetermined length, while said tube is beingunwound from a respective coil, carried in a reel, and straightened byan assembly of straightening rollers, at least one of them beingrotatively driven for pulling the tube from the coil, making it passthrough the straightening rollers. In this prior constructive solution,the reel with the coil, the assembly of straightening rollers and a tubecutting device are mounted on a rack or structural frame provided withwheels or rollers.

Although said previous solution provides a device that facilitates thedisplacement of a metallic tube coil in the installation place andallows the tube to be straightened, while being pulled and unwound fromthe coil, it unwinds and straightens the tube only in a single sense,according to a horizontal direction that is tangent or substantiallytangent to the upper region of the coil.

Said prior device does not allow the tube to be unwound andstraightened, according to installation directions other than thehorizontal and superiorly tangent to the coil.

Nevertheless, in certain applications, the tube must be installedaccording to a vertical or inclined direction, in a descending orascending sense, or even in a horizontal direction in ditches orunderground duct. In these cases, the unwound and straightened tube mustbe redirected, by any adequate means, from its horizontal and superiorlytangential release from the coil, towards the direction required forinstallation.

Redirecting the tube unwound from the coil requires troublesomeoperations, which may require the use of additional traction means andlead to undesirable deformations in the already straightened tube. Thisinconvenience of the known solutions becomes more emphasized in theinstallations in which the tube is mounted in vertical directions, alongexternal or internal walls of buildings. In these cases, the solutionsof the state of the art do not allow the tube to be unwound,straightened and progressively installed, without requiring anyalterations in the direction in which it is unwound and straightened,usually requiring the provision of an additional traction device.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

As a function of the inconveniences of the known solutions, the presentinvention has, as one of its objects, to provide a device for unwindingand straightening wound metallic tubes, which allows for an easydisplacement and positioning of the coil at the installation place, andan adequate operation of straightening the tube while it is beingprogressively pulled and unwound from the coil, as well as thetangential release of the straightened tube from the coil, according todifferent directions that are offset from each other in at least 270degrees, including the descending and ascending vertical directions andthe opposite upper and lower directions in relation to the coil.

As already mentioned, the present device is of the type which comprisesa structural rack mounted over rollers and carrying: a horizontal shaft,around which is mounted, in a removable and freely rotating way, a reelin which is wound a metallic tube; an assembly of tube straighteningrollers, at least one of them being a traction roller, for pulling thetube from the coil; and a motor unit for rotatively driving the tractionroller.

According to the invention, the present device further comprises asupport arm having an end rotatively mounted around the horizontal shaftof the structural rack and an opposite end carrying the motor unit andthe assembly of straightening rollers, between which the tube, afterbeing unwound from the reel, is pulled and straightened according to adirection that is tangential to the reel, the support arm being lockedto the structural rack in different positions that are angularly offsetfrom each other.

With the construction defined above, the reel, carrying the tube coil,can be easily positioned in the installation place and have the supportarm angularly displaced around the horizontal shaft of the structuralrack and locked thereto, in a position in which the tube pulling andstraightening direction coincides with that tube installation direction,which can be vertical or inclined, descending or ascending, or lower orupper horizontal in relation to the coil.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below, with reference being made to theappended drawings, by way of example of a possible embodiment of theinvention and in which:

FIG. 1 represents a front perspective view of the device of the presentinvention, with its support arm locked in a position in which the tubeis being pulled and straightened in the descending vertical direction;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail of part of FIG. 1, illustrating the regionin which the tube enters in the assembly of straightening rollers;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a lateral elevational view of the device illustrated in FIGS.1 and 3, further showing, in dashed lines, different operationalpositions for the support arm;

FIG. 5 represents a lateral elevational view of the assembly ofstraightening rollers illustrated in FIG. 4 and acting over a tubeextension being straightened;

FIG. 6 is an upper plan view of a pair of straightening rollersdimensioned for a determined tube gauge; and

FIG. 7 is an upper plan view of a pair of straightening rollersconstructed so as to operate with three different tube gauges.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As already mentioned and illustrated in the figures of the appendeddrawings, the present device comprises a structural rack 10, formed inmetallic profiles and presenting a base frame 11, which is seated onfour wheels 12, or other adequate rolling means, and which carries anupper frame 13 to which is affixed a horizontal shaft 20.

The horizontal shaft 20 presents a front extension 21, around which ismounted, in a removable and freely rotating way, a central tubular hub31 of a reel 30, which also includes a cylindrical frame 32 that isaffixed to the central tubular hub 31 by a plurality of radial rods 33.Around the cylindrical frame 32 of the reel 30 is wound a metallic tubeT to be straightened.

It should be understood that the structural rack 10 may presentdifferent configurations, provided that it can be seated, in a stableway, on wheels that facilitate movement on a support floor in theinstallation place, and that it can carry the reel 30 of the tube coil,in a freely rotating condition around the horizontal shaft 20.

The reel 30 can be constructed in different materials, such as aluminum,and in different manners, as long as it presents the central tubular hub31 to be mounted around the horizontal shaft 20, and the cylindricalframe 32, with a diameter inferior to the height of the horizontal shaft20 in relation to the base frame 11 and with a width sufficient toaccommodate a determined extension of the tube T.

The axial retention of the central tubular hub 31 in the horizontalshaft 20 can be achieved in different manners well known in the art,provided that it guarantees a reliable retention of the reel 30 in thehorizontal shaft 20 during the movement and operation of the device, andalso the possibility of replacing an empty reel by another reel carriedwith a coil of the tube T.

According to the invention, the horizontal shaft 20 further presents arear extension 22, coaxial to the front extension 21 and around which ismounted an end 41 of a support arm 40. Such arrangement allows thesupport arm 40 to be freely displaced, around the rear extension 22 ofthe horizontal shaft 20, by an angular extension which will depend onthe particular construction applied to the upper frame 13 of thestructural rack 10 and to the rear extension 22 of the horizontal shaft20.

In the illustrated construction, the horizontal shaft 20 is formed in asingle piece, with the ends of its rear extension 22 being respectivelymounted to opposite lateral bearings 14, which project upwardly from theupper frame 13 of the structural rack 10. Thus, the support arm 40 canbe rotated, around the rear extension 22 of the horizontal shaft 20, byan angle of at least 270 degrees. In case the rear extension 22 of thehorizontal shaft 20 is affixed, in cantilever, to the upper frame 13 ofthe structural rack 10, the support arm 40 can be rotated in 360 degreesaround the rear extension 22 of the horizontal shaft 20.

The support arm 40 has an opposite end 42 carrying a motor unit 50defined by an electric motor 51 and by a rotation reducer 52, and anassembly of straightening rollers 60, each having a shaft 61 parallel tothe horizontal shaft 20 and affixed to a support 65 which, on its turn,is affixed to said opposite end 42 of the support arm 40.

As better illustrated in FIG. 5, the straightening rollers 60 arearranged so that they can act sequentially, two by two, over theextension of the tube T which is made to pass progressivelytherebetween, to effect the rectifying calendering operation in the tubeT.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, one of thestraightening rollers 60, preferably the one disposed in the lastposition of the assembly, considering the sense of displacement of thetube T, has is shaft 61 coupled to the outlet shaft (not illustrated) ofthe rotation reducer 52, in order to be rotatively driven by the motorunit 50 and, thus, also operate as a traction roller, pulling the tube Tfrom the reel 30 and through the assembly of straightening rollers 60,according to a direction tangential to the reel 30.

The support 65 further carries, superiorly, a tubular guide 67, usuallyformed in an antifriction elastomeric material and disposed axiallyaligned with the path direction of the tube T upon passing through theassembly of straightening rollers 60.

The present device further comprises a fairing 65 a, constructed in ametallic material or even plastic, affixed to the opposite end 42 of thesupport arm 40 and also to the support 65 of the assembly ofstraightening rollers 60, so as to surround the latter, in a positionopposite to that of the support 65, and thus avoid accidents.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the support arm 40 can be locked, in thestructural rack 10, in different positions which are angularly offsetfrom each other and defined from a first end position, in which thedirection of unwinding and straightening the tube T is vertical anddescending VD (illustrated in solid lines), to a second end position,offset in 270 degrees in relation to the first end position and in whichthe direction of unwinding and straightening the tube T is horizontaland inferiorly tangent HI to the reel 30, as illustrated in dashed linesin FIG. 4. The support arm 40 can be further selectively locked, in anyof said different operational positions, including those in which thedirection of unwinding and straightening are, respectively, horizontaland superiorly tangent HS to the reel 30 and vertical and ascending VA,as illustrated in dashed lines in FIG. 4.

The locking of the support arm 40 in the different operational positionscan be achieved by several manners, such as for example, the oneillustrated and according to which at least one of the lateral bearings14 is provided with a circular alignment of orifices 15, concentric tothe rotation axis of the support arm 40. Into one of said orifices 15can be selectively fitted a lock pin P, which is also fitted in anorifice 43 defined in the support arm 40. The number of orifices 15 willdetermine the number of different operational positions of the supportarm 40. However, it should be understood that the lateral bearings 14can be provided with tightening means capable of acting against thesupport arm 40, locking it in any angular positioning.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, there can be provided fivestraightening rollers 60 constructed with a single circumferentialchannel 66, dimensioned for a determined gauge of the tube T, asillustrated in FIG. 6. In this case, upon alteration of the gauge of thetube T to be unwound and straightened, the rollers 60 must be replacedby rollers with the circumferential channel being dimensioned accordingto the new gauge of the tube T.

However, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the rollers 60 can be constructedwith a plurality of circumferential channels 66, each being dimensionedto operate with a determined gauge of tube T. In this case, uponalteration in the gauge of the tube T to be unwound and straightened,the rollers 60 need not be replaced by other rollers.

Independently of the number of circumferential channels provided in eachone of the straightening rollers 60, at least part of the latter has theshaft 61 thereof eccentrically mounted to the support 65 and affixed, inan adjustable way, in a position which allows the roller to operate,jointly with the adjacent roller, against the wall of the tube T of apredetermined gauge.

In the illustrated construction, the shaft 61 of each adjustable rolleris operatively associated with a fastening lever 68, to maintain theroller in a determined operational position adequate to allow itscircumferential channel 66 to act against the tube T being straightened.

The present device can be further provided with a meter counting means70, mounted to the opposite end 42 of the support arm 40 and providedwith a pulley 71 which is constantly and elastically forced against thewall of the extension of the tube T, already straightened andprogressively released from the assembly of straightening rollers 60, sothat said pulley 71 can be rotated by the frictional linear displacementof the tube T which activates the meter counting means 70.

The present device allows the reel 30, carrying the wound tube T, tohave its tubular hub 31 manually mounted around the front extension 21of the horizontal shaft 20 affixed in the upper frame 13 of the rack 10,it being possible to provide the reel 30 in different sizes and carryinga coil for the tube T with different diameters within certain limits.

The tube T is unwound from the reel 30 and released in the desireddirection, by actuation of the motor unit 50 and under control of anon-off button 18, or by means of a remote control or button panelpresenting a control cable of adequate length, the motor unit being fedby a power cord 19 having a length dimensioned to allow the device to beused in different positions in the construction site.

In case the tube T has to be installed in an ascending verticaldirection VA, the end of the tube T leaving the assembly of rollers 60can be tied up in a cable or cord to be ascendingly guided to therequired height. For other installation directions, the displacement ofthe tube T can be guided by existing channels or existing conducts, oreven manually.

It should be understood that the particularities of each installationwill lead to the use of different available techniques, in order to turnmore practical and reliable the application of the tube in its finalmounting site.

1. A device for unwinding and straightening wound metallic tubes,comprising a structural rack (10) mounted over wheels (12) and carrying:a horizontal shaft (20), around which is mounted, in a removable andfreely rotating way, a reel (30) in which is wound a metallic tube (T);an assembly of straightening rollers (60), at least one of them being atraction roller, for pulling the tube (T) from the reel (30); and amotor unit (50) for rotatively driving the traction roller (60), thedevice being characterized in that it further comprises a support arm(40) having an end (41) rotatively mounted around the horizontal shaft(20) of the structural rack (10) and an opposite end (42) carrying themotor unit (50) and the assembly of straightening rollers (60), betweenwhich the tube (T), after being unwound from the reel (30), is pulledand straightened according to a direction tangential to the reel (30),the support arm (40) being locked in the structural rack (10) indifferent positions angularly offset from each other.
 2. The device,according to claim 1, characterized in that the angularly offsetdifferent positions of the support arm (40) are defined from a first endposition, in which the direction of unwinding and straightening the tube(T) is vertical and descending (VD), to a second end position, offset in270 degrees in relation to the first end position, and in which thedirection of unwinding and straightening the tube (T) is horizontal andinferiorly tangent (HI) to the reel (30), the support arm (40) beingfurther selectively locked, in any of said different operationalpositions, including those in which the direction of unwinding andstraightening are, respectively, horizontal and superiorly tangent (HS)to the reel (30) and vertical and ascending (VA).
 3. The device,according to claim 1, characterized in that the straightening rollers(60) are disposed, in order to actuate sequentially, two by two, overthe extension of the tube (T) which is progressively passed between saidstraightening rollers (60), the opposite end (42) of the support arm(40) carrying a support (65), each straightening roller (60) having ashaft (61), parallel to the horizontal shaft (20) and affixed to saidsupport (65).
 4. The device, according to claim 3, characterized in thateach straightening roller (60) has at least one circumferential channel(66) dimensioned to operate with a determined gauge of the tube (T), atleast one of the straightening rollers (60) presenting their shaft (61)eccentrically mounted to the support (65) and affixed, in an adjustableway, in a position which allows the roller to operate, jointly with theadjacent roller, against the wall of tube (T) of a predetermined gauge.5. The device, according to claim 4, characterized in that the support(65) carries, superiorly, a tubular guide (67), which is disposedaxially aligned to the path direction of the tube (T) upon passingthrough the assembly of straightening rollers (60).
 6. The device,according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises afairing (65 a) affixed to the opposite end (42) of the support arm (40)and surrounding the straightening rollers (60) in a position opposite tothat of the support (65).
 7. The device, according to claim 1,characterized in that the horizontal shaft (20) presents a frontextension (21), bearing the reel (30), and a rear extension (22),coaxial to the front extension (21) and around which is mounted the end(41) of the support arm (40), the structural rack (10) including anupper frame (13), from which are upwardly projected lateral bearings(14) in which are respectively affixed the ends of the rear extension(22) of the horizontal shaft (20).
 8. The device, according to claim 7,characterized in that at least one of the lateral bearings (14) isprovided with a circular alignment of orifices (15), concentric to therotation axis of the support arm (40), the latter being provided with anorifice (43) which is aligned with an orifice (15) of a bearing (14), ina respective angular position of the support arm (40), in which saidaligned orifices receive a lock pin (P).
 9. The device, according toclaim 7, characterized in that the reel (30) has a central tubular hub(31) mounted around the front extension (21) of the horizontal shaft(20).
 10. The device, according to claim 1, characterized in that itcomprises a meter counting means (70), mounted to the opposite end (42)of the support arm (40) and provided with a pulley (71), which isconstantly and elastically forced against the wall of the extension ofthe tube (T), already straightened and being progressively released fromthe assembly of straightening rollers (60), so that the pulley (71) canbe rotated by the frictional linear displacement of the tube (T) whichactivates the meter counter means (70).